Memories

Damian gives a surprised and almost pained look, "Do you really want to know?"

Cassandra looks at Shadow for confirmation. The plan doesn't include this, nor would it. But, she was genuinely curious and wanted to know his backstory. All villains have one, right?

She nods," We do. Honestly, we're all curious."

She gives him a soft look and he crumbles underneath it, tears falling lightly.

"Take me to my room and I'll explain. At least I'll be comfortable there."

They both nod as they carry him to his bed, laying him down. He doesn't speak at first, just lays on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling.

"There is a way to show you rather than tell you, but it might be a little...complicated. Is that alright?"

Cassandra finds herself laughing lightly, "This whole situation is complicated, so that's fine."

He smiled sadly before leaning his head back on the pillow.

"You two will essentially be living my memories, and they're not pleasant. If they get to be too much, just let me know."

Cassandra looks at Shadow, who has a concerned concerned look in his eyes. As if he's worried about what they would see.

There is no warning. It's almost like a projection inside their minds, except they are seeing everything from his view. Cassandra can even feel his emotions as the memories play.

"What are you doing?! You're not a boy!"

"Damian was born...a girl?" She thinks to herself,"I would have never thought that."

Cassandra feels pain rip through her as his mother picked him up by his throat, looking him in the eyes.

"Diana, you are not a boy. So, quit acting like one!"

The sorrow, lack of love overtakes her emotions as the memory plays. He is three in this memory, only three years old.

"But, mom, I am-"

"You are not!"

His mother slaps him across the face, leaving a stinging feeling on his cheek. Cassandra isn't sure how to feel. To be traumatized at such a young age, how could his parents do that? Then again, how could her parents do what they did to her? As the memories play, she begins to understand why he keeps part of himself locked off. His father isn't in the memories, as if he didn't exist.

"Did he not have a dad?" She thinks out loud.

"He left when I was young," Damian's voice cracks and he clears his throat, "I never met him."

Cassandra spoke softly, "I'm sorry,"

Damian doesn't say anything as the memories continued playing. He is older in this one, maybe 18. It starts quiet but became louder as it continued.

"I see you're grown up now, Diana."

She wonders why the memories skip so far ahead, but thinks about it. Would she really want to go over every little memory of trauma or get to the point? If this was her, she wouldn't even want to remember anything. She would choose the memories that summarize the trauma, but not ones that cause too much to come back up.

"That's not my name."

"Yes," His mother seethes," It is."

"It's not," Damian speaks softly as his mother seethes at him in rage.

"So, what? You're a boy now and you plan to leave me, just like your father?"

She was yelling loudly, angrily, even. As if she couldn't accept her child at all, but why?

"That's what I asked her that day, I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Why couldn't you just be a normal girl?! Why couldn't your father just stay with us, with me?!"

There is no response from Damian, he simply stares before speaking.

"Why am I never enough for you?"

"What did you say?"

"Why. mom? Why am I never enough for your expectations? I can't even be myself around you, and you won't even tell me about dad. Why-"

Everything slows as a loud "slap" registered through the room. This is different from the one before. She feels his anger, his even lack of a proper response. But, what is a proper response? He snapped, and this time, he grabbed his mother's wrist.

"Why am I never enough for you?"

His rage almost runs through her, but she shrugs it off. She has to remind herself that these aren't her memories. Yes, she's been through something similar, but not like this.

"Why, mother?"

He stretchsthe last word out in anger, maybe even hate. His mother gives him a scared look, but his emotions give off that he doesn't care. She can feel his built up rage, agony. The lack of love made him so angry. This hate has been learned.

Suddenly, his mother spits in his face,"I prayed so hard, so hard, for a girl! And, you turn out like this! Disgrace, disgusting, I could never love a child so-"

The scene plays as you might think, or maybe not. Cassandra watches as everything played out. The blood, the violence. The lack of care in Damian's mind, he just wanted free of his mother.

"So, this is how-"

Cassandra's thoughts are cut off by another voice cutting in.

"Good job son, I'm proud of you."

The man stood tall, about as tall as Damian. His eyes are crimson with a slit in the middle, much like a cat's.

"Who are you?"

Cassandra feels Damian's emotions run cold as if something else takes control of him.

"Dad?"

The man grins and suddenly, everything is cut off. It's not a sudden and quick strop, but a slow "fade to white and then black" kind. When her and Shadow seem to come out of the little "memory show", they see Damian standing over them. His expression is stone cold, no emotion at all.

"Out," He speaks, pointing at the door.

They both look at him in shock. Cassandra isn't sure how to process all this, or what to do.

"I said get out, you've seen enough and I don't need your sympathy."

Cassandra and Shadow are pushed out of the room and the door is slammed shut. She is almost confused as to what made him cut it off, but she understood. All he had was a horrible mother, and his father shows up last minute? She wouldn't want to talk about any of it, but there was definitely something or many more to this story. She feels dedicated to finding out.

"What the hell was that?" Shadow whispered.